· ESTATE PLANNING · TRUSTS · GIFT STRATEGY · WEALTH TRANSFER
A Plan for Your Wealth Is a Plan for Your Family
Without a plan in place, decisions about your estate default to the law rather than your intentions. Archer Lewis builds estate, trust, and gift strategies that protect what you've built and put it where you intend.
Our Approach
Estate plans work best when they begin well in advance.
Trusts, gifting programs, and business succession structures don't produce results overnight; they compound over years. Families who minimize estate and gift taxes are almost always the ones who started planning early, while more options were still available. Archer Lewis works with clients on estate and gift planning as an ongoing part of their financial picture, coordinating with your attorney and financial advisor to make sure the tax strategy integrates with your legal structure and your long-term goals.
What's Included
Estate, trust, and gift services that protect your legacy
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Estate Tax Planning
Reduce estate tax exposure before it's locked in: exemption planning, trust structures, and asset titling done right.
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Gift Tax Returns (Form 709)
Annual and lifetime gifts filed accurately, including gifts to trusts and family members.
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Trust Tax Returns (Form 1041)
Income tax returns for trusts and estates with attention to distribution planning and tax minimization.
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Irrevocable Trust Planning
GRATs, SLATs, ILITs, and other structures that move assets out of your taxable estate efficiently.
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Charitable Giving Strategies
Giving structures that align philanthropic goals with tax efficiency: CRTs, donor-advised funds, and more.
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Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax
Planning for transfers across generations, navigating GST exemptions to minimize tax at every level.
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Business Succession Tax Planning
Transfer a closely-held business to family or partners in a way that minimizes gift and estate tax exposure.
The estate tax exemption is scheduled to change. Planning now matters.
Current exemptions are historically high but scheduled to drop significantly unless Congress acts. Business owners and high-net-worth families who plan now can put strategies in place that may not be available later. Archer Lewis is helping clients take advantage of the current environment while it remains available.
Start Your Estate Plan
Common Questions
What families ask about estate planning.
Earlier than most people think. The most effective strategies (gifting programs, irrevocable trusts, business succession structures) take years to produce results. Starting five to ten years before you need the plan in place gives you the most options and the best outcomes.
Depends on your goals. Asset protection, estate tax reduction, controlled distributions, and special needs planning all point to different trust structures. We work with your attorney to identify what makes sense and handle the tax planning that makes it work.
Your business may be subject to estate tax at full fair market value, potentially forcing a sale to pay the bill. A well-structured succession plan can dramatically reduce that exposure and keep the business intact for the people you intend to leave it to.
